Linda Meech
Bruno Cannatelli
Michelle Payne was thrust into the spotlight care of her 2015 Melbourne Cup victory aboard outsider Prince Of Penzance.
The first female to ride the winner of Australia's most iconic race, Payne is now one of racing's most publicly-recognised figures.
But arguably the best female jockey in Australia over a long period has been the softly spoken Kiwi, Linda Meech.
Famously described by Black Caviar's now retired trainer Peter Moody as 'the best horse in my stable', the hard-working rider has certainly made her name across the Tasman.
Four times Meech has ridden a century of winners in a season – she kicked home a career best 111 in 2008-09 – and twice she has won the Victorian country premiership.
Her success continued on the big stage last Saturday when the self-proclaimed "bush jockey" guided the Peter Morgan-trained Sircconi to victory in the Gr.2 VRC Sires' Produce Stakes at Flemington.
It is a long way from her beginnings when she had about 30 rides while apprenticed to Janice Webster in Wanganui. But there was never any doubt in Meech's mind as to what her career path would be.
"I always wanted to be a jockey, even before I went to primary school," she said.
While there was no specific racing interest Meech said her family all rode while she was growing up in Pongaroa in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand and she remembers her grandfather being especially keen on horses.
In 1998, the now 36-year-old travelled to Australia with some horses for trainer Kevin 'Dummy' Myers and never returned.
"It was a bit better money over here and more opportunities than I had in New Zealand with racing every day," she recalled from her Victorian base this week.
Meech said she was lucky to be taken on as an apprentice by trainer Terry O'Sullivan and she worked hard riding at meetings around country Victoria.
No trainer provided Meech with more winners than Peter Moody – 246 to be precise – but with the big man from Wyandra hanging up his stopwatch last year, Meech now freelances and rides for Caulfield trainer Ciaron Maher.
"Peter was a champion to me. I still see him a lot and it is nice to see him looking so relaxed," she said.
Moody also provided Meech with her first Group One win when she guided Plucky Belle to an upset victory in the 2015 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill.
A week prior, Meech had been enjoying racing of a slightly less highbrow nature, returning to her native New Zealand to ride at the Castlepoint Beach races.
"It was one of those things I always wanted to do," she said.
"I rode for Kevin Myers, but I couldn't win the Castlepoint Cup, I got beaten. I'd like to go back but I don't know if Dummy would put me on again!"
Meech splits her time between an apartment in Port Melbourne and a stable complex adjacent to the racecourse at Stawell, 236 kilometres west of Melbourne, where she spent her apprenticeship and where she plans to eventually retire.
"I probably want to retire in the next four or five years," she said. "I'm not going to be riding forever."
She has a trainer's license, but currently treats that as a hobby and something she is more likely to focus on when she ceases race riding.
With more than 1300 career wins to her name, Meech is currently second on the Victorian jockeys' premiership behind Dean Yendall with 82 wins. While she was understandably happy to add a Group Two success to her tally last weekend, Meech is pragmatic when considering further Group wins.
"I don't get many rides in Group races. It's not like I am Zac Purton or Hugh Bowman, I am happy if I just keep riding winners," she said.
"I am pretty much a bush jockey. I make a good living and I never expected to be a superstar."-NZ Racing Desk
The first female to ride the winner of Australia's most iconic race, Payne is now one of racing's most publicly-recognised figures.
But arguably the best female jockey in Australia over a long period has been the softly spoken Kiwi, Linda Meech.
Famously described by Black Caviar's now retired trainer Peter Moody as 'the best horse in my stable', the hard-working rider has certainly made her name across the Tasman.
Four times Meech has ridden a century of winners in a season – she kicked home a career best 111 in 2008-09 – and twice she has won the Victorian country premiership.
Her success continued on the big stage last Saturday when the self-proclaimed "bush jockey" guided the Peter Morgan-trained Sircconi to victory in the Gr.2 VRC Sires' Produce Stakes at Flemington.
It is a long way from her beginnings when she had about 30 rides while apprenticed to Janice Webster in Wanganui. But there was never any doubt in Meech's mind as to what her career path would be.
"I always wanted to be a jockey, even before I went to primary school," she said.
While there was no specific racing interest Meech said her family all rode while she was growing up in Pongaroa in the south-east of the North Island of New Zealand and she remembers her grandfather being especially keen on horses.
In 1998, the now 36-year-old travelled to Australia with some horses for trainer Kevin 'Dummy' Myers and never returned.
"It was a bit better money over here and more opportunities than I had in New Zealand with racing every day," she recalled from her Victorian base this week.
Meech said she was lucky to be taken on as an apprentice by trainer Terry O'Sullivan and she worked hard riding at meetings around country Victoria.
No trainer provided Meech with more winners than Peter Moody – 246 to be precise – but with the big man from Wyandra hanging up his stopwatch last year, Meech now freelances and rides for Caulfield trainer Ciaron Maher.
"Peter was a champion to me. I still see him a lot and it is nice to see him looking so relaxed," she said.
Moody also provided Meech with her first Group One win when she guided Plucky Belle to an upset victory in the 2015 Coolmore Classic at Rosehill.
A week prior, Meech had been enjoying racing of a slightly less highbrow nature, returning to her native New Zealand to ride at the Castlepoint Beach races.
"It was one of those things I always wanted to do," she said.
"I rode for Kevin Myers, but I couldn't win the Castlepoint Cup, I got beaten. I'd like to go back but I don't know if Dummy would put me on again!"
Meech splits her time between an apartment in Port Melbourne and a stable complex adjacent to the racecourse at Stawell, 236 kilometres west of Melbourne, where she spent her apprenticeship and where she plans to eventually retire.
"I probably want to retire in the next four or five years," she said. "I'm not going to be riding forever."
She has a trainer's license, but currently treats that as a hobby and something she is more likely to focus on when she ceases race riding.
With more than 1300 career wins to her name, Meech is currently second on the Victorian jockeys' premiership behind Dean Yendall with 82 wins. While she was understandably happy to add a Group Two success to her tally last weekend, Meech is pragmatic when considering further Group wins.
"I don't get many rides in Group races. It's not like I am Zac Purton or Hugh Bowman, I am happy if I just keep riding winners," she said.
"I am pretty much a bush jockey. I make a good living and I never expected to be a superstar."-NZ Racing Desk
